“I would hate to see that” - Ravi Ashwin offers a piece of advice to Suryakumar Yadav ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Former Indian spinner and analyst Ravi Ashwin has stated that he would hate it if the Indian T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, gives up his own batting spot to accommodate any other batter in the line-up ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin asserted that the current Indian T20I side is extremely intimidating, adding that shuffling the batting order would be the last thing he would want to see ahead of the much-awaited mega event next year.

“I also think Surya is a very open, open-minded character who can do a lot of good work for the team. Quite selfless, was willing to give up, give up his own spot to be able to accommodate others in the batting order, which is something I would hate to see going forward, leading up to the World Cup,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“That Indian team is an extremely strong and intimidating Indian side, which, let alone being played with a lot of freedom, could inflict a lot of damage in that tournament. So the last thing I want to see is the shuffling of batting orders and people not knowing where exactly they will enter into a particular game. It is something I want to see avoided over the next few months,” he added.

Furthermore, Ashwin talked about India’s three-match ODI series and five-match T20I series against South Africa. While Ashwin feels that India is a tough team to beat in T20Is, South Africa has a really good chance of winning the ODI series.

“I think South Africa will be competitive in both series. I don't think we will get whitewashed in both. I think the strongest suit of Indian cricket right now is white-ball cricket. I think we have more of an opportunity in ODIs. T20s, anything can happen, but Team India looks stronger; there is no doubt about it. And obviously, we have the memory of that World Cup in the West Indies, where India won that final against us. Maybe that will be enough to sort of urge South Africa on to try and cross the line, but unlikely in T20s. I think in the ODI, South Africa has got a really good chance of winning,” he concluded.

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